Edzard Ernst, MD, PhD, is a former homeopath who saw the light and became a tireless advocate for scientific evaluation of alternative medicine claims. He became the world's first professor of complementary medicine. He wrote (with Simon Singh) the excellent book Trick or Treatment: The Undeniable Facts about Alternative Medicine as well as other books and innumerable articles for the media and for scientific journals.
For many years Ernst has led one of the world's leading centers for alternative medicine research, The Centre for Complementary Medicine at the University of Exeter in the UK. Among other things, this center has done many rigorous systematic reviews of the literature. These reviews have acknowledged that there is good evidence for a few things (like St. John's wort for mild to moderate depression,) but they have found no evidence to support the majority of alternative medical treatments. Where the evidence is lacking, they are not afraid to conclude that these things don't work; whereas the NCCAM (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) in the US has been unwilling to discredit any treatment and instead consistently calls for "more studies."
A recent article in The Times announced that Ernst's research center will close next year unless a new financial backer can be found. Ernst believes that he has become a persona non grata since he attacked a report that was commissioned by HRH Prince Charles. In an e-mail comment on the Times article he clarified "the complaint letter was not on the foundation's but HRH's letterhead and that my VC does not even respond to my letter raising the issue of the missing £1.5 million."
I sincerely hope that other funding sources will be found to continue this valuable work. If his university doesn't come through, perhaps the skeptical community can find a way to help.
... written by Ganymede Ceriaptrix,
March 19, 2010
It is depressing, indeed, to consider myself a citizen of the nation of the United Kingdom, when a Royal Family allegedly now divorced from politics by virtue of democracy is able to affect the progress of medical science. It is as though efforts in the United Kingdom to subject CAM treatments to proper scientific investigation run a gauntlet of first having to deal with the litigious promoters of products that are too insecure to want their nostrums to be tested. When scientists are frank about the lack of efficacy of certain CAM treatments, they risk legal action they are at a major disadvantage to defend themselves against, as in the libel action with which we are all familiar.
Failing that situation, the opinions of the Royal Family on the subject -- specifically, for the most part, those of homeopathy -- are given far too much weight, as though in some way they reflect some truth or validity that they assuredly do not. Unless His Royal Highness was perhaps the backer of the University's CAM research, as seems to be suggested by the lack of the Vice-Chancellor's response as to where the money went? Irrespective of this, it was staggering to see how certain sectors of the United Kingdom media rallied around the Prince's opinion when the Department of Health decided to withdraw a considerable amount of funding for CAM treatment provision. To this day, the job has not, to my knowledge, been fully completed.
I read Ernst and Singh's book which moved me along the path from private skeptic to openly challenging woo whenever and wherever I find it. It would be a travesty if Ernst's work is stopped, for political reasons no less. I have no quarrel with the Royal Family and much admire the Queen for her dignity and grace. She is the consummate example of good manners, something sorely lacking in modern life for the most part, but every time I hear the old saw about "the Royal Family use homeopathy", I cringe in despair that anyone would think this amounts to a proverbial "hill of beans".
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... written by MadScientist,
March 20, 2010
I wonder if there's any value in Ernst's testing all these claims. Perhaps we're better off with the pharmaceutical companies publicizing their investigations of naturally occurring products (at least of the tests which showed no benefit) from the past 60 years? At the very least governments should ban all this stuff until the woosters can demonstrate their claims.
OMgosh dude, thats like totally insane. I guess the money has to go somewhere.
Lou http://www.web-invisibility.at.tc
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Cuts all round written by Marcus,
March 21, 2010
The UK Higher Education sector (in which I work) is facing huge cuts. Even if there is no conspiracy, it's entirely possible that the cuts are hitting Ernst's department anyway. Whilst I think he's doing great work, if you step outide our bubble of campaigning for skeptical enquiry, funding CAM research of any nature is akin to funding research into the shape of the Earth. On the other hand, if the cuts are being applied for political reasons, that's no way to run a University.
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Failing that situation, the opinions of the Royal Family on the subject -- specifically, for the most part, those of homeopathy -- are given far too much weight, as though in some way they reflect some truth or validity that they assuredly do not. Unless His Royal Highness was perhaps the backer of the University's CAM research, as seems to be suggested by the lack of the Vice-Chancellor's response as to where the money went? Irrespective of this, it was staggering to see how certain sectors of the United Kingdom media rallied around the Prince's opinion when the Department of Health decided to withdraw a considerable amount of funding for CAM treatment provision. To this day, the job has not, to my knowledge, been fully completed.
When will my country wake up, I wonder?